Where to Acquire Fresh Hawaii Kona Coffee Beans

Friday, April 9th, 2010 at 10:47 pm

Most of those who try Kona coffee get hooked off their first sip. Kona coffee beans which originates from Hawaii, have rare properties that make it a perfect choice for your next cup of coffee. True coffee lovers know, and have known for a long time, that one of the best and most flavorful coffee in the world is Kona coffee, made from beans that are grown in Northern slopes of Hawaii and Oahu.

Buying fresh, gourmet Kona coffee ensures the best cup of coffee possible especially if made in a french press coffee maker. You pay more for Kona coffee but the quality and taste is worth a few extra bucks. After all, people from around the globe buy this particular type of coffee. Because of the growing conditions, which include beautiful, sunny mornings and afternoons with rain and humidity, the coffee is unique and flavorful.

These high-quality Kona coffee beans grow on plants whose cuttings came from Brazil. The first tree was brought to Hawaii by Samuel Reverend Ruggles during the 19th century. Because the weather and soil in Hawaii are highly conducive to crop production, many opportunistic farmers grow beans on large plantations. There are more than 2,300 acres where fresh gourmet Kona coffee beans are grown. The cultivation of fresh, gourmet Kona coffee beans is so successful that some two million pounds are produced every year.

Blooms of tiny white flowers known as Kona Snow appear every February and March. Then in early spring, small green berries pop up which by mid-summer, have turned to red fruit, which look similar to ripe cherries. It is a right time for the “fruit” to be harvested. By hand-picking every coffee bean, the freshness of gourmet Kona coffee is ensured.

Within 24 hours of the fruit being harvested it is put through an apparatus that separates the pulpy matter from the bean itself. When that is completed, you will have to ferment the beans for a total of 36 hours at both lower and higher elevations. The beans are soaked and then placed on a special rack where they naturally dry during the next week or two. The dry beans are then stored on parchment. Interestingly, to produce just one pound of fresh, gourmet Kona coffee, it takes approximately eight pounds of fruit.

Gourmet Kona coffee beans are categorized by seed type. For instance, Type I has two beans per cherry or fruit, with one side being flat and one being oval. You will find Type II beans in fruit such as cherries. Further grading would be based on several factors, including size and type, moisture content, and purity. With fresh, gourmet Kona coffee, you know you are purchasing a higher quality or grade of the Kona bean.

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